Language and languages, mostly but not always about English

04/07/2014

Pearls of the English language: travel

As the name suggests, Lavengro Books Pearls are concentrated units of concise information. At about 80 – 100 words, each Pearl contains a point about the English language in a short form that is easy to assimilate and remember. The Pearls contrast with and complement the detailed descriptions contained in A Guide to English Language Usage. A collection of Pearls can be seen on the Lavengro Books website.

This is the last of the Pearls. Thank you for your interest and support.

Pearls of the English Language is published in book form by Lavengro Books. Price: paper €6.90, ebook (epub) €5.99.

Comments

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To me, at least, a short journey is something of a contradiction in terms, or at any rate the use of a fairly significant (or pompous) word for a small matter, like using demolish for knocking down a house of cards. Etymologically, of course, a journey would be a day's traveling < L. diurnum. For me, the word for a short event of traveling, even without returning, is trip: "a ten-minute bus trip" more likely refers to how long it takes to get somewhere, not including the time I spend there, much less returning.

M-w.com and AHD5 agree with me, so this may be another BrE/AmE distinction. Etymonline says trip is first recorded as 'a short journey' in the 15C, so AmE may be conservative here.